The Bengals got off to a 4-3 start in Dick LeBeau's first full season as head coach, but they did not win again until the final two games, finishing 6-10. The defense finished No. 9 in the NFL, but the offense ranked 23rd. The early season was played amidst the tragedy of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. All of the NFL's Week 2 games, scheduled for Sept. 16-17, were postponed until the first weekend in January, the weekend after the regular season had been scheduled to end. The Bengals resumed play on Sept. 23, moving to 2-0 with a win over Baltimore at Paul Brown Stadium, and by that time stadium security procedures had been strengthened, including a ban on "coolers, backpacks and oversize purses." Also, the Federal Aviation Administration moved to ban aircraft from operating within three miles of outdoor venues with events in progress. Free agent signee Jon Kitna took over as the starting QB, winning a training camp battle with Scott Mitchell and Akili Smith. The '01 season featured the Bengals' first visit to Pittsburgh's new Heinz Field, on Oct. 7. On Oct. 28 at Detroit, a 31-27 Bengals win featured a 96-yard TD run by HB Corey Dillon, which stands through 2017 as the longest scrimmage play in Bengals history. The '01 season was the first for flamboyant WR Chad Johnson, who through 2017 is Cincinnati's all-time leader in receptions (751) and receiving yards (10,783). Johnson, a second-round draft pick from Oregon State, put up only modest rookie numbers, missing four games with a collarbone fracture, but he publicly pleaded with coaches and medical staff to let him come back sooner from the injury, and he promised, "I'm going to make a lot of noise here early." On Oct. 14, the Bengals re-set their own record for the largest crowd ever at a Cincinnati sports event, as 64,217 fans watched a 24-14 win over Cleveland.
